When I was brainstorming for business names 2 years ago, I had a completely different picture of the salon in my head than what it’s going to be now.

The vision was a small space with 3 chairs, 2 shampoo bowls, a massage room, a bathroom, and a dispensary (salon storage room with a utility sink). White shiplap walls, dark wood vinyl floors, and some refurbished vintage/antique furniture being sold in the front corner. My style I guess you could say was vintage western with a touch of boho. I was all about that cowhide rug and camel leather (still am!) but I was pulling inspiration from the antique shops near me.

I brainstormed for hours trying to find the perfect name. It was just a month or two after my sister passed and a few years since my grandmother had passed (we call her nanny). At my nanny’s funeral, on the tv screen with the slideshow was Proverbs 31. The virtuous woman. For the first time in my life, at her funeral, that scripture had meaning to me. My nanny was a virtuous woman. And so was my sister. After shopping at antique stores to furnish my little apartment, and my heart filled with grief, I came up with Vintage Virtue. And it was perfect. It held so much meaning and it always will. 

Things are different now. My life isn’t built on grief and death or old things. It is built on light and love. While purpose comes from grief and beauty from ashes, this business will be built on something greater. The last two years have been such an amazing learning experience and I wouldn’t have had that without Vintage Virtue. But the sun is coming up over the horizon, the night is over, Vintage Virtue will find it’s place deep in my heart, and Helia Salon + Wellness will take its place in the world to continue and grow the mission. 

I would be lying if I said this started as a spiritual transition. After speaking with some trusted friends, legal advisors, and my husband, we thought changing the name would be the best plan of action to respect other beauty businesses in Ohio. As well as to protect our own business, name, and reputation. 

I didn’t know that it would be such an awakening going through this process though. Helia is known in Greek mythology as the goddess of the sun. Symbolizing the feminine form of the sun, it’s warmth and all the goodness that comes from it. 

The Bump.com describes Helia like this- “Helia is a feminine name of Greek origin that possesses an irrepressible aura. Spilling forth from the ancient Greek hḗlios, meaning “sun,” Helia basks in the glow of the revered sun god, infusing the name with a radiant purity.” 

Irrepressible aura. No one is able to contain the radiant energy that will come from Helia Salon. 

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the pagan roots of this word and the greek deities that it represents. However each of these religions or observances, even astrology, that deify the stars, the sun, the moon, have just twisted God’s design. Genesis 1:14 says “And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.” 

“The heavens declare the glory of god and the sky above proclaims his handiwork…” Psalm 19:1-4

The stars were meant to be signs. They were meant to be beautiful and wonderful. Not honored as gods but honored as God’s. ]

This change in our salon’s name isn’t just a cool name and logo. It gave me the opportunity to see a different and bigger vision. Bigger impact than before. Helia Salon will have things that Vintage Virtue never could have imagined.

Helia is about embracing warmth, radiating joy, speaking life, and pouring out into the community. 

There is still so much more meaning behind our new salon name, but I’ll save that for another day! 

Join us in celebrating the new salon name!  Screenshot & highlight your favorite part from todays blog, share it on insta and tag us @heliasalon . I’d love to hear from you! Go to instagram.com/theheliasalon and shoot us a dm!